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Boons (Pledges)
The boon of a pledge describes the expected reward for fulfillment of the task of a pledge. These may range from a measure of Glamour to enchantment of mortal senses to small magical benefits granted not by the changelings in question per se, but by the Wyrd itself. Adroitness The skill of one's hands may be increased by the Wyrd as a reward for holding to the terms of a pledge. In many cases, these boons are intended to grant the oathbound the ability to more fully adhere to his pledge: A sworn bodyguard's skill at arms or alertness is enhanced, while a hacker on a quest to acquire information for a changeling may find his aptitude with technology boosted. The oathsworn gains a +1 bonus to all rolls involving a single Skill (defined by the pledge) while he benefits from this boon. Lesser (+1). Blessing When the parties of a pledge hold to their word, the Wyrd rewards them appropriately, granting beauty, riches, skill at arms or one of many other benefits. The one thus rewarded gains one or more dots in a Merit, which persist as long as the pledge remains intact. Whether investing a mortal to act as his bodyguard, or playing faerie godmother to an orphan whose hard life has softened his heart, the changeling may grant tremendous boons to those who uphold their word. The man who serves the fae well may find himself with a bounty of money that he need never work for, and the plain woman might be made beautiful. Changelings receive blessings of diminished power when compared to mortals, however. Lesser A lesser blessing grants a one- or two-dot Merit to humans who do not possess the Merit at all, or increases an existing Merit by one dot. This will only grant a new Merit of one dot in power to a changeling or other supernatural entity, but may still increase an existing Merit by one dot. (+1). Medial A medial blessing grants a three- or four-dot Merit to those who do not possess the Merit at all, or increase an existing Merit by two dots. Changelings and other supernatural beings may only gain a new Merit of two dots in power, but may still increase an existing Merit by two dots. (+2). Greater A greater blessing grants a five-dot Merit to those who do not possess the Merit at all, or increase an existing Merit by three dots. Changelings and other supernaturals may only gain a new Merit of three dots in but may increase an existing Merit by three dots. (+3). Ensorcellment The ensorcellment boon may only be performed for a mortal. The changeling infuses the mortal with Glamour, lacing his soul with the weaves of Wyrd that allow him to see the world of the fae. Seemings become apparent to him, and the things of Glamour and Wyrd that changelings live with every day leap into full immediate apparency. Ensorcellment is both a task (for the changeling) and a boon (for the mortal); other tasks and boons may be paired with ensorcellment as part of pledge-crafting, but granting ensorcellment without it acting as both task and boon is impossible. When a pledge with this boon takes effect, the changeling must expend one point of Glamour, in addition to any other costs associated with sealing the pledge. This expenditure actually invests the Glamour into the mortal. It remains there for as long as the pledge that ensorcells the mortal lasts. The changeling who ensorcelled the mortal may, at any time, reclaim the point of Glamour by touch. Doing so dispels the ensorcellment, however, and constitutes the violation of the pledge that ensorcells him. Medial (-2). Favor Performing a task in exchange for a later favor of equivalent importance is a time-honored tradition. Doing so can be risky, of course. Effectively, the one who is bound to perform a favor is bound by Wyrd to perform some task of equivalent power at a later date. Favors are rated as lesser, medial and greater in power. The one who owes the favor is bound by Wyrd to grant it, so long as it is within the bounds of what is owed, when it is asked at that later date, or suffer a Curse sanction of the appropriate power, levied by the Wyrd itself. Lesser (+1), Medial (+2) or Greater (+3). Glamour Not every changeling has access to the reserves of Glamour that drip into the world of mortals from Arcadia. Most changelings have to make do with pacts of Glamour. Between changelings, this is something of a rare boon, for it involves the literal and immediate transfer of Glamour from one changeling to the other when the boon is invoked. Some lieges grant a one-time Glamour boon when they take fealty from a vassal, while others demand a tithe of it from their subjects on a regular basis. Glamour gained in this way is dependent on the pledge's specifics. However, no more Glamour than the lowest Wyrd rating of the changelings involved may be transferred at any one time. Alternately, this transfer may happen at intervals, one point of Glamour at a time. This transfer may not happen more often than once a week, and this boon may only transfer a number of points of Glamour equal to the highest Wyrd rating of the changelings involved over the duration of the pledge. When mortals are involved, however, things are different. The mortal need not know how to manipulate Glamour, or even know it exists. A pledge between mortal and changeling that includes the Glamour boon grants Glamour to the changeling, power tinged with the flavor of the pledge itself. In this fashion, a changeling may gain up to a single point of Glamour per day, depending on the pledge involved. As long as the pledge remains unbroken by the oathbound, the Glamour continues to flow. Note that even if a pledge's fulfillment has a physical component -- as with the shoemaker leaving a saucer of milk for the changeling in return for having all his shoes cobbled overnight -- that component is not truly the source of Glamour. The act of upholding the oath actually provides the energy, not the item. Therefore, another changeling could not get Glamour by stealing the saucer of milk left out for a friend, or could not offer the milk to another to give him Glamour, because neither the saucer nor the milk is really magical -- they are simply physical tokens representing the oath's fulfillment. Medial (+2). Vassalage Those who are granted vassalage as their reward are considered members of a freehold, and gain access to the unique blessing associated with that freehold while they are within its borders. The vassalage boon can only be granted to pledges that incorporate the fealty task. The word "freehold" can be used to describe anything from a ragtag cluster of tenuously allied Courtless to an elaborate feudal community headed by a Court of self-made nobility. However, a freehold that is properly reinforced by the Wyrd (usually through the work of the Great Courts) can grant a measure of power to all those who have sworn loyalty to the anointed ruler. This benefit usually takes the place of a small die modifier, a blessing to one particular activity. In order to manifest these benefits, the ruler of a freehold must be "appropriate" in a fashion that matches the Wyrd forces of fate and time. In areas where the seasonal Courts hold sway, this means the ruler must reflect the season of the area; a Summer Court changeling must govern during the Summer, passing the mantle to an Autumn courtier when Autumn comes, and so on. These blessings of vassalage are the primary motivator for the rotating seasonal Courts that have become so prominent. If a freehold's ruler loses his "divine right" (such as a Spring Queen refusing to yield the throne when Summer comes), the freehold benefits are lost. In addition, a ruler who breaks pledges of vassalage in this fashion is said to bring ill luck on his domain; a broken pledge is worse than never having sworn a pledge at all. This may be simple changeling superstition, but Wyrd makes many superstitions real. The specific benefits vary greatly from one freehold to the next, but the three following are the most common. Greater (+3). Fertility This blessing grants vassals a +1 bonus to rolls made to harvest Glamour, as the wellsprings of emotions flow freely. Loss of the blessing seems to bring a time of drought on the land, as Glamour withdraws in the wake of broken pledges. Fortitude Vassals with this blessing receive a +1 bonus to all rolls made to resist Clarity degeneration; the pledge of vassalage offers support and strength. Loss of the benefit makes degeneration rolls even more difficult to endure. Subtlety This blessing grants vassals a +1 bonus to all rolls that involve concealing their fae nature from others. Loss of this blessing often results in a rise in outside interference, with many potential enemies feeling drawn to the area.